TMZ Sports - Page 4

1:48 PM PT -- NBC just released updated ratings and says the game actually peaked at 29 million viewers and averaged 27 mil. The new numbers include people who watched on NBC network, as well as streaming numbers for Peacock, NBC Sports Digital and NFL Digital platforms.

So ... the Chiefs vs. Jets, Taylor Swift's Version, is now NBC Sports' biggest-ever streaming audience for a regular season Sunday Night Football contest.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are seemingly still going strong ... but the number of folks tuning in for updates as Taylor cheers on TK dipped as Taylor went back for seconds.

The TV ratings are in ... Sunday night's telecast of NBC's Sunday Night Football saw 20.31 million viewers for a matchup between Travis' Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets.

The overall figure was the biggest on TV last night, but it's 4 million less than last Sunday's Chiefs game, which drew 24.32 million ... the first time Taylor cheered on Travis from a suite.

Of course, last week's Chiefs game was on a different network, FOX instead of this week's NBC, and in a different time slot ... 4:25 PM ET kickoff instead of this week's 8:20 PM ET start.

There was a lot more hype around Taylor and Travis heading into the Chief-Jets game, though, and even more star power in the second week.

NBC constantly panned to Taylor during the broadcast ... she was in a suite with Sophie Turner, Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Hugh Jackman and Sabrina Carpenter ... just to name a few.

Taylor's new bestie, Brittany Mahomes, also joined Taylor in the suite ... ditto for Travis' mother, Donna, who got a big hug from Taylor.

Before the game, Travis was spotted leaving Taylor's NYC apartment before heading over to New Jersey for his game ... but they left MetLife Stadium separately, unlike last week in Kansas City when they drove off in a convertible.

Travis and the Chiefs are on CBS next Sunday ... for a 4:25 PM ET kickoff on the road against the Minnesota Vikings -- and it will be interesting if Taylor shows up for her third game in a row, and how the final TV ratings shake out.

Stay tuned ...

Do you think Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce will last long term? Vote below.

LeBron James says Bronny is recovering so well from recent heart surgery that he's now hoping to suit up for USC this season.

The Lakers superstar revealed the plans for his 18-year-old son while meeting with reporters at L.A.'s Media Day on Monday.

Bron said his boy is "doing extremely well," and has already begun rehabbing to "get back on the floor this season with his teammates at USC."

"He's on the up-and-up," LeBron added.

As we previously reported, Bronny suffered cardiac arrest back on July 24 ... and was later diagnosed with a congenital heart defect that required a procedure to fix.

While docs believed the issue wouldn't derail his basketball career -- a timetable for a return to the Trojans' floor was not known. Clearly, however, LeBron thinks his son can get back within a matter of a couple months.

LeBron also called the summer "a whirlwind" that featured "a lot of emotions for our family" -- but he said the James Gang all leaned on each other to get through it.

11:33 AM PT -- Trevor Bauer's attorneys, Shawn Holley and Jon Fetterolf, released a statement to TMZ Sports ... saying, "Trevor Bauer and Lindsey Hill have settled all outstanding litigation. Both of their respective claims have been withdrawn with prejudice, effective today."

"Mr. Bauer did not make – and never has made – any payments to Ms. Hill, including to resolve their litigation. With this matter now at rest, Mr. Bauer can focus completely on baseball."

Bauer also made a video statement on the matter ... saying he hopes it is the last time he has to defend his integrity and reputation in a public setting.

"So today I’m happy to be moving on with my life," Bauer said.

Trevor Bauer and his accuser Lindsey Hill's days of battling in court appear over ... both the Cy Young winner and Hill have decided to settle their lawsuits, TMZ Sports has learned.

Hill is NOT paying Bauer and Bauer is NOT paying her, either. But, Lindsey is receiving a large sum of money from her own insurance company, according to her high-powered attorney Bryan Freedman.

"In April 2022, Trevor Bauer sued Lindsey Hill for defamation. In what turned out to be an outstanding resolution for Lindsey, neither Lindsey nor anyone on her behalf paid anything to Bauer. Not a single dollar," Freedman told us.

"Even better, Lindsey received $300,000 from her insurance company. Based on that payment, Lindsey agreed to settle the lawsuit. Now that the lawsuit is over, Lindsey looks forward to helping others."

Of course, Bauer filed the defamation lawsuit against Hill in April 2022 ... claiming she "fabricated allegations of sexual assault" in a plot designed to “destroy Mr. Bauer’s reputation and baseball career.”

A few months later, Hill filed a countersuit for battery against Bauer ... claiming he got physical with her on two occasions in April and May.

After more than a year of battling in court, the parties have decided to settle and move on.

Trevor is currently pitching for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in Japan. Despite never having been charged with a crime in relation to Hill's allegations, Major League Baseball suspended Bauer for 324 games. The suspension was subsequently reduced to 194 games.

Technically, Bauer is now eligible to sign with an MLB team, though it remains to be seen if anyone's interested.

Former New England Patriots Pro Bowl tight end Russ Francis, along with another man, were killed Sunday when the small plane they were flying in crashed in Lake Placid.

Francis was 70 years old.

The crash, according to police, occurred a few minutes after 4 PM near Lake Placid Airport in New York.

The plane was a Cessna 177 Cardinal ... a light, single-engine aircraft that was first introduced in the late '60s. The Cessna "experienced an emergency after takeoff" and "attempted to return to the airport but failed to make the runway," according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).

The second passenger who died alongside Francis was Richard McSpadden, a Senior Vice President for the AOPA. McSpadden was a very accomplished pilot, commanding the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds during his military career.

It's unclear if Francis, also a pilot, or McSpadden were flying at the time of the crash.

On the football field, Francis was one of the best at his position.

Russ was drafted with the 16th overall pick in the 1975 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots after starring at Oregon. He played 13 total seasons with the Pats and San Francisco 49ers, making 3 Pro Bowls and 2 All-Pro teams. Francis played in 167 games, catching 393 balls for 5,262 yards and 40 yards.

The Patriots released a statement on Francis' death.

"On behalf of the entire New England Patriots organization, we extend our sincerest sympathies to the family of Russ Francis, who tragically passed away yesterday," said Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft in a prepared statement.

A Las Vegas Raiders fan had a really rough Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles ... his team not only lost to the Chargers -- he was socked in the face by a huge haymaker while attending the game.

The Howie Long supporter was decked after he got into a spat with a Justin Herbert fan during the Raiders vs. Bolts tilt at SoFi Stadium ... and the wild fight was all captured on video.

You can see the fracas appeared to start when the Long supporter got into the face of the man in the powder blue jersey.

Apparently not liking the guy in his grill, the Herbert supporter got up and seemed to headbutt the Long fan ... before uncorking a massive right hand that caught the guy flush in the face.

The blow sent the Raiders fan straight to the ground ... but when he got up, he was hit by another couple punches. Eventually, the Herbert fan pushed the guy down several rows of stairs.

Thankfully, a man in a black Charles Woodson jersey stepped in to break up the fight before things escalated further.

It's unclear if either combatant was kicked out of the game over the melee.

Jimmy Butler looked like he was about to ask if "people ever heard of closing the goddamn door" at Miami Heat media day ... going full emo with a haircut and piercings!!

The NBA superstar was back at it with his preseason antics on Monday ... showing up to the team facility rocking a look that would fit right in at the When We Were Young festival.

Of course, the 34-year-old All-Star has made it his thing to debut a shocking appearance for his official team photos prior to the season -- last year, he wore dreads for the occasion.

This time around, he went with the straightened hairdo ... even rocking lip and eyebrow piercings to complete the style.

"This is my emotional state," Butler told reporters. "I'm one with my emotions. So, this is what you get."

To really lean into it, The Used's "The Taste of Ink" played over the speakers as Butler posed next to teammates Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo for some snaps.

Last season, Butler explained he was trying out new looks to piss off the internet ... but this one seems to be getting a lot of approval from the emo hoops fans.

There was no joyride underneath the stars for Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift this time around for the budding couple ... the pop star and her new beau left MetLife Stadium separately after she watched him secure yet another win on the field.

Kelce bolted from the Chiefs' locker room area toward the team buses without Swift following Kansas City's 23-20 win. The "Love Story" singer, meanwhile, exited arm in arm with her pal Sophie Turner.

In a way, this exit further confirms their relationship. When they walked out of the stadium together last week and left in the same car, it was almost their coming out. This time around it was less showy ... almost like there was no reason to underscore what is now obvious.

After the game, Taylor hit up Zero Bond restaurant in NYC. It's unclear who she was with ... there are no shots of Travis, Sophie or any of her other buds who watched the game with her.

Taylor was all in again as she watched the Chiefs eke out a win, throwing up her hands and cheering. She was joined by Sophie, Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Sabrina Carpenter and others.

Taylor's new bff, Brittany Mahomes, and Travis' mom, Donna, were also in the suite.

Travis was spotted earlier in the day leaving Taylor's apartment before heading to the stadium.

Short story ... the Taylor Swift game was super entertaining.

Do you think Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce will last long term? Vote below.

Taylor Swift is becoming quite the trendsetter for football game attire ... 'cause the denim shorts she wore at Travis Kelce's latest football game are already sold out online.

As you know, Taylor was in a celeb-packed box at MetLife Stadium Sunday night in New Jersey ... wearing a pair of logo-lettering denim shorts by fashion label AREA.

The jorts were being sold on Farfetch for a whopping $1,213 but were 50% off the night of the game -- but it's all sold out as of Monday morning.

Shouldn't come as a total shock ... millions had their eyes on Taylor during the Chiefs vs. Jets game, with NBC's 'SNF' leaning hard on her viral craze that went down just a week before, and cutting to her a lot throughout the game.

This isn't the only Swift/Kelce clothing choice to run out -- as we reported, a fashion line added "1989" to the name of the jacket Travis wore last week when he was spotted walking out with Taylor, a reference to one of her albums.

That one sold out incredibly fast, too ... so it looks like the 2 will be picking their outfits wisely from now on -- either that, or brands will be reaching out like crazy to get them to put on their threads!

Do you think Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce will last long term? Vote below.

5:26 PM PT -- Taylor Swift was just officially introduced to start the broadcast, and it looks like her box is completely packed -- as she hugs and kisses friends, and hob-nobs with celebs.

No sign of Donna Kelce just yet, but she's almost certainly in the mix as well.

And yes, NBC is fully leaning in to Taylor-mania -- they just did this whole Carson Daly intro recapping the viral frenzy ... and they made a lot of Swift-y song references along the way. Last but not least ... Aaron Rodgers is also in the house -- this just a few weeks after tearing his Achilles and undergoing surgery. The dude is here to root on his underdog team.

It's game time!

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's romance is going strong -- so much so that she popped into another football stadium to cheer him on ... this time with some famous pals in tow.

The pop star is again the guest of honor Sunday during NBC's 'SNF' broadcast of the Chiefs vs. Jets game -- in which her rumored tight end BF is obviously playing. Taylor showed up and slipped in through a back area, but got caught on camera entering the building.

This time around, TayTay had some A-list company ... including Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, among others. She's expected to be in a luxury suite near the field, and word is ... she'll be joined by Travis's mom, Donna Kelce -- like last week.

As for TS's entourage -- Blake makes sense ... they're best buds, and they were just out and about yesterday together in the Big Apple -- not to mention a starry dinner alongside some other famous ladies, like Sophie Turner and even Patrick Mahomes' wife, Brittany.

Hugh's not all that random either -- he's good friends with Blake's hubby, and they're in this new obscure movie that's coming out next year -- something called 'Deadpool 3,' apparently.

Anyway ... Taylor's appearance is no surprise -- we'd been hearing all week that she'd be here, and they were telegraphing as much by being within a stone's throw of each other earlier this weekend.

We'll see how much of Taylor gets shown throughout the broadcast. FOX kept it mostly focused on the game last week -- but seeing how much of a rating bonanza her mere presence turned out to be ... ya gotta figure NBC will cut to her at least a few times today.

If today/tonight turns out to be as eventful as last week's Kansas City outing ... we're in for a whole lot of news. Travis and Taylor were all anyone talked about -- and now that they're showing PDA in public, it's safe to assume we might see even more of it in the near future.

Some might've thought this was all BS at first, but it's sure looking more real by the day. There were reports that Travis even swung by Taylor's NYC apartment before the game -- so yeah, he's been in her quarters now ... and all signs point to this being an intimate thing.

With Swifties and NFL'ers all flocking for the show ... it's a classic case of worlds colliding.

Trayvis is officially on ... and kickoff is just minutes away!!!

Brittany Mahomes hitting it off with Taylor Swift has seemingly rubbed Travis Kelce's ex-girlfriend the wrong way -- Kayla Nicole no longer follows her bestie on Instagram amid the tight end's budding relationship with the singer.

Patrick Mahomes' wife has been spending a lot of time with T-Swift over the past two weeks -- as we previously reported, the two initially connected at Kelce's party after the Chiefs' win over the Bears last week ... and grabbed dinner with Blake Lively and Sophie Turner in NYC days later.

Brittany and Taylor appeared to be thick as thieves as they enjoyed the Chiefs' close win over the Jets from a VIP suite alongside Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman and more Sunday night ... a clear indication that Mahomes approves of Kelce's new love interest.

Kayla -- who remained tight with Brittany long after her relationship with Travis ended in 2022 -- apparently doesn't like the idea of her friend cozying up with Swift ... 'cause the model and influencer recently unfollowed Mahomes on social media.

Of course, Kayla was super close with the Mahomeses for years -- she was even a bridesmaid for their wedding in March 2022.

Now, she's no longer keeping tabs on both Brittany AND Patrick on the platform ... and previous posts have been "un-liked" by Kayla's account.

Yeah, Damian Lillard and Antonio Brown might have some dope music, but Shaq tells TMZ Sports he's the G.O.A.T when it comes to athletes who rap ... and he's been that guy since the 1990s!

For those who don't remember, Shaq made four rap albums during his Hall of Fame NBA career, with the first one, "Shaq Diesel," coming out in 1993.

He hasn't stopped making music in retirement either ... the 51-year-old actually just jumped on a track with L.A.-based group Coyote -- and he tells us he's got much more on the way too.

"I got a couple of freestyles," O'Neal said. "It's all competition for me, so when I hear other people that say, 'I'm a better athlete-rapper than Shaq,' I gotta step up."

"Nothing personal. I just have to let these people know who paved the way."

Some of the athletes makin' waves in the rap game include Lillard, who's been considered by fans to be one of the best, lyrically, in any sport.

There's also Brown, who's made catchy tracks like "Put That Sh** On" ... as well as former NBA star Iman Shumpert.

But, while O'Neal (who we recently talked to about his huge upcoming charity event) was very complimentary of the guys' talents on the mic, he says he's still the greatest of all time.

"I put stuff out, they put stuff out and we let the people decide who the number one is," O'Neal said.

"I know who the number one is. I'ma always say myself is number one, but they got a lot of the guys out there that are coming."

Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, a 2x World Series champion, has died at the age of 57 ... just days after former teammate Curt Schilling revealed the longtime starting pitcher was battling brain cancer.

The Boston Red Sox, Wakefield's team for all but two of his 19 MLB seasons (he spent his early days with the Pirates), announced the devastating news on social media.

"Our hearts are broken with the loss of Tim Wakefield," the BoSox wrote on X.

"Wake embodied true goodness; a devoted husband, father, and teammate, beloved broadcaster, and the ultimate community leader. He gave so much to the game and all of Red Sox Nation."

"Our deepest love and thoughts are with Stacy, Trevor, Brianna, and the Wakefield family."

On the mound, Wakefield could be nearly unhittable … thanks to his knuckleball. TW won 200 games and retired with a 4.41 ERA. Tim struck out over 2,100 batters and earned a trip to the All-Star Game in 2009.

He won two World Series in 2004 and 2007.

Wakefield retired in 2011 ... and was later inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame.

Of course, it wasn't publicly known that the former All-Star was sick until Schilling, on his podcast last week, revealed Tim was battling cancer and fighting for his life, seemingly against the Wakefield family's wishes.

Curt even acknowledged "I don't even know if he wants it shared," but explained he was Christian and remarked ... "I've seen prayer work and so I'm going to talk about it."

Schilling categorized the illness as "a very serious, very aggressive form of brain cancer."

Many were outraged by Schilling's actions ... Jason Varitek's wife, Catherine, blasted the World Series MVP-winning pitcher. The Red Sox also condemned Curt, saying, "Health is a deeply personal matter they intended to keep private as they navigate treatment and work to tackle this disease."

The MLB team added that the Wakefields were asking for "privacy at this time."

Sadly, just three days later, the legendary knuckleballer and father of two, passed away.

Many from the baseball community have begun reacting to the terrible news, with Tim's former teammate, Kevin Youkilis, summing Wakefield up perfectly.

"He was a great teammate and just a great friend."

The NFL got animated this weekend -- the shield teamed up with none other than Disney to broadcast a simultaneous version of a game that saw everybody reimagined as a toy.

Of course, we're referring to the Jags facing off against the Falcons in London ... the kickoff for which was super early. That doesn't mean Disney/ESPN wasn't ready with their big "Toy Story" skin, though -- as soon as the game started, their own cartoon stream was live.

It's exactly how it sounds ... basically, while the real game was playing out on everyone's TV, a different part of the screen was showing Disney's carbon copy universe -- where all the players were turned into toys and their on-field play was translating moment-for-moment.

The "Toy Story" stream wasn't on the main screen the entire time -- it sounds like they cut away to it during different parts of the match ... including replays/highlights, etc.

It was pretty cool to see, and the reactions online certainly reflected that ... as people were somewhat mesmerized by the technology -- not to mention all the other "Toy Story" characters being incorporated into the background and on the sidelines.

With that said, the new feature wasn't without its issues -- there were moments when the "Toy Story" would glitch up and/or not cut back to the main action in time ... and it PO'd some.

Still, it was way more good than bad ... and considering how much the "Toy Story" stuff got talked about, you can almost guarantee the NFL will try doing this again in the near future.

BTW, this isn't the first time the league has done something like this ... they've partnered with Nickelodeon in the past and had AR visuals superimposed over portions of the game -- including "slime" moments after touchdowns.

Kim Kardashian and Tom Brady shared a fun-filled moment while bidding on a very pricey piece of art -- and the two even got a bit flirty!!

According to eyewitnesses... Kim and Tom showed up to bid on a George Condo painting at the Reform Alliance Charity in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Saturday night.

We're told Kim kicked off the bidding at $500K, and then Tom put in a higher bid before they got into a full-on bidding war.

During their back and forth, the celebs giggled and kept looking at each other, and it was all "super fun and flirty," our sources tell us.

When the bid reached $2 million, the event hosts stepped in and decided both would receive their own George Condo painting.

But there was a caveat ... Kim and Tom each had to pay $2 million for their canvases, which for them is just chump change.

Tom Brady gave hundreds of kids a day to remember Saturday, by not only hitting up a sports trading card event but also getting in on the action!

Brady was the surprise guest at the Fanatics and Topps Hobby Rip Night in Linwood, New Jersey.

There were some big stars front and center, including Travis Scott, Kevin Hart, who hosted the event, and Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin.

Fanatics is the biggest sports merchandizer in the game.

The Linwood store has a capacity of 100, but so many people showed hundreds more descended onto the parking lot.

Brady was all in, trading cards with fans and the kids went nuts. Fact is ... Brady owns tons of football cards.

Taylor Swift's gearing up to root on Travis Kelce for the second week in a row, but not before grabbing dinner with some famous gal pals ... stepping out with Sophie Turner, Brittany Mahomes, and Blake Lively.

Taylor and crew hit Italian hotspot Emilio's Ballato in NYC Saturday night -- arriving with Blake and later joined by Sophie and Mahomes ... who she recently got acquainted with last weekend following Kansas City's win at home.

Of course, Taylor's been spending a lot of time with Sophie as of late, noticeably taking her side in a battle with Joe Jonas as they fight for custody and issues surrounding their divorce.

Blake's a longtime friend of Taylor, but Mahomes is certainly a new addition to the girl squad.

TMZ broke the story ... Taylor and Brittany hit it off at Travis Kelce's afterparty in KC last weekend, chatting a bunch and at one time taking a shot together. We were also first to obtain a photo of Taylor and Travis looking rather comfortable at the bash ... as she wrapped her arms around the NFL superstar.

Travis and his Kansas City Chiefs are set to take on The New York Jets Sunday night, and sources tell us Taylor will be in attendance.